How do YOU check your gun's reliability?

[SCone]

We said in the tech field, "Plan for failure and you'll sleep better at night."

The questions to ask are, "What will you do when it fails?" And, "What failure have I not planned for?"

[ghostrider]

I stuff reloads into the magazines a shoot USPSA matches :-)

Seriously, competitive shooting can be a good way to see how reliable a gun is (well, the gun AND the mags AND the ammo....)

[Lumberjack98]

I stuff reloads into the magazines a shoot USPSA matches :-)

Seriously, competitive shooting can be a good way to see how reliable a gun is (well, the gun AND the mags AND the ammo....)

Great point.

[old farmer]

I use a glock

Anygunanywhere

I use a CZ 97b, when out of ammo it makes a good club.

[Mike from Texas]

Thanks for the quick replies. yerasimos - thanks for the link. I've got an M&P.45 and a HK P2000 that haven't had one hiccup in 500-600 rounds (each). I know I can count on those but would really like to carry the Kimber if I can root out the problem.

You said you are having FTF problems with your Ultra Carry. Is it truly a FTF or a fail to go to battery, meaning that the slide goes almost all the way closed, but not quite. My UC was having FTGB issues. I took it to the store where I bought it and had them polish the feed ramp and chamber throat. Then I bought a Wolff 21# recoil spring and had it installed. Problems instantly went away. I now have about 1500 rounds with no problems whatsoever.

[casingpoint]

I use a glock

I use a J-frame.

[G.C.Montgomery]

I'm sure most of us recognize that most gun owners and CHL holders are casual shooters at best. Not many of them are going to put a statistically significant volume of ammunition through a potential carry gun just to see if it's really reliable. It's not the best route but, many people will elect to ask the opinion of someone with experience with a particular gun or simply turn to the next closest "gun nut" for advice. There's nothing wrong with it, that's life.

Having said that, I'm a little past picking new carry guns. With the exception of S&W revolvers, I only carry guns that I can strip down to the frame and rebuild on my own. Right now, that pretty much means 1911's, Glocks and not much else. My way of verifying reliablity is simply to shoot the snot out of them. All of my carry guns used to be "working" guns that I previously used in weekly matches or while training to the tune of 250-500 rounds a week with ammunition from random sources.

My working guns get treated a lot like rental guns at ranges. That means almost no maintenance unless it gets too heavy or stops working. Even then, I'll typically throw some brake cleaner at it, re-oil it and keep going. If I decide the gun will work for me as a carry gun, I'll pull the gun off the line for a thorough cleaning and some real maintenance. During the maintenance check, I'll inspect parts for excess wear or damage. Assuming I haven't spotted any major issues, I'll replace all the springs, buy fresh magazines, relubricate the gun and verify it will run 100% with 200 rounds of my typical carry ammo.

Not exactly the cheapest or easiest way to be sure a gun works but, that's how all my current carry guns got to be carry guns. YMMV

[tboesche]

I use a glock

I'm Sorry!

[CompVest]

I use a glock

I'm Sorry!

+1

[OverEasy]

I would like to add that AMMO is an important variable in reliability. I found that out for myself with a glock no less.
Bigger, faster, more powerful..., Better, right? When I read about Double Tap ammo I had to get some.
My glock 33 (357SIG) was flawless even with Sellier&Bellot. When I tried the Double Tap I had a failure to feed for the first time ever. I'm convinced it was due to limp wristing. Double Tap packs a punch! It happened mor than once.
However, I was able to shoot the Double Tap in my SIG P229/357 without any problem.
My glock is trouble free with Speer Gold Dot. That's what I carry in it.
So, your gun might be 100% with WWB, but I would suggest running a couple of magazines of whatever it is you intend to carry through it. Even if the stuff does cost $1 a pop. I'm glad I did!!
Regards, OE

[Mark F]

Hey guys - had a question about how you guys check your guns for reliability. I've tried to put several hundred rounds through my handguns before I count on them for self defense, and I would guess most of you do the same. My question is how do you get to that mark? Do you do a couple sessions of 50-100 rounds or just one or two of 200+ rounds?

My 1911 has had Failure to Feed problems. Almost all of them coming at the end of a long session when I'm tired and my grip may be weakening. I know almost all defensive gun uses involve just a handful of rounds, but... Would you depend on a gun that can go 50-100 rounds at a time without a failure, even if you know it (or the user) tends to fail at higher round counts? That little "what if" voice in your head might make a difference.

BTW - I do have other extremely reliable guns I use for carry, but don't want an expensive 1911 to turn into a "range only" gun

Shooting a lot of rounds isn't really necessary. But you need to shoot your pistol as though you are caught in a situation. IE: Shoot with one hand, shoot left and right hand. Your pistol should be reliable and repeatable in all circumstances.

[yerasimos]

Shooting a lot of rounds isn't really necessary. But you need to shoot your pistol as though you are caught in a situation. IE: Shoot with one hand, shoot left and right hand. Your pistol should be reliable and repeatable in all circumstances.

I agree that ultimately it is necessary for you to shoot your handgun and ammunition through a variety of simulated scenarios.

However, for the purpose of equipment debug, and specifically when focusing upon the mechanical reliability of the firearm, you will want to optimize everything except the handgun; this entails using a firm two-handed grip and shooting factory ammunition (or trustworthy handloads). Then, if you do sustain a stoppage, you can focus upon the handgun as the most likely cause, and spend less time wondering whether it was an incorrect grip or defective ammunition.

You can proceed with more interesting things after you have developed a measure of confidence in the handgun's basic mechanical reliability.